Today we’d like to introduce you to Zsamé Morgan.
Hi Zsamé, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story begins unusually. I lost my mate unexpectedly to myocarditis in Feb 2015, when our daughter was just 1 year old. I was devastated, and to find a way to survive emotionally, I decided to channel my grief and healing into something that shared our family values and honored his memory for our daughter. As a family, we read a lot, and my daughter had many books, even at that young age, so I decided that I would try to open a bookstore. Years before, I’d enjoyed working in a bookstore at the U of MN St. Paul Campus named Books Underground when I was an undergrad, so I started to build on that experience by attending a bookseller’s boot camp through Paz and Associates and by joining the American Booksellers Association (ABA) and Midwest Independent Booksellers Association (MIBA). This allowed me to attend industry trade shows and meet fellow booksellers, publishers, authors, and many other bookish people and eventually connected me with a mentor and informal internship here in the Twin Cities at Moon Palace Books.
I presented my business plan to banks and neighborhood development organizations but could not get the funding needed to open a brick-and-mortar bookstore. Another mentor helped me redirect and look into the mobile route, which is how I raised funds through crowdfunding and an angel lender to buy a bookmobile and start Babycake’s, Book Stack. Through the early days of the pandemic, the online store for Babycake’s Book Stack was established, and now, both the bookmobile and the online store are actively growing. I opened to the public in April 2019 as an event-based business.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. I work a full-time job during the day and am a solo parent, limiting my time to run my bookstore. Also, as I mentioned, I could not get bank financing, so after repaying the angel lender, I have been reinvesting earnings into the business and supplementing out of pocket. Another challenge is that I cannot yet drive my bookmobile, so I hire drivers. That is a high cost, in addition to maintaining and fueling the bus, paying for secure parking and storage, and restocking inventory. One day, I hope to have the time and money to afford driving lessons, and hopefully, that will allow me the freedom to grow the business even further. Also, grief is a funny thing. It ebbs and flows at will, and I miss my daughter’s father, and I think of how he would have loved the bookstore and enjoyed doing this together. The bookstore was named with him in mind; Babycake was his nickname for our daughter!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Babycake’s Book Stack (BBS) is a Twin Cities, MN-based BIPOC, woman-owned bookstore with the motto AROUND THE WORLD IN A BOOK because we are located in a bookmobile and online. We are unconventional but effective in taking the books to the people! Our goal is for everyone to see themselves on the Shelf. We primarily focus on children’s and YA books (birth, pre-k, K-12, adult) featuring access to diverse content for all. We put this into practice because the books you see in the bookmobile and our online store represent the diversity of the Twin Cities. Allowing the reader to find characters who look or feel like their experiences and access to the voices of authors, illustrators, and characters that many kids and adults relate to! See Yourself on the Shelf is more than just a cute #hashtag.
In addition to being a really fun place to visit, Babycake’s Book Stack is a champion for family literacy. Increasing family literacy by encouraging reading together for at least 15 minutes daily is an important, recurring theme for the bookstore. We invite readers to join in the effort as we partner with educators, school districts, community organizations, and families to get books into the hands and hearts of children!
The 2 person staff of Babycake’s book Stack does consulting work to help diversify classroom libraries, book fairs, and business-to-business orders. We hand deliver books and participate in many community events with the bookmobile. A fun fact is that you can hire the bookmobile for private events. However, you won’t see us roaming the streets like the beloved ice-cream truck. You will find us at your local community events, partnering with community organizations like the Mississippi Market Co-op and themed events like Sweet Summer Saturdays open-air market. You can find our location and calendar on the website and on social media.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
I love listening to classical music on MPR to focus! Also, in the past, I was a professional singer so listening to music that I can sing along with helps me emotionally decompress when things feel tough. As a bookseller, I read many books, but the book that means the most to me and that I read the most is the Bible. It grounds me and gives me hope and positivity.
Pricing:
- Community Partner Sponsored FREE shelf
- Pay What You Can Shelf
- Retail Priced books
- Retail priced puzzles, plushies, book themed gifts
Contact Info:
- Website: www.babycakesbookstack.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/babycakesbooks
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/babycakesbookstack
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/babycakesbooks
